November 21, 2019
Upending the 5G Status Quo with Open Architecture
This article is adapted in part from written testimony the author submitted to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The promise of 5G, the next generation of wireless communications technologies, is alluring. New capabilities enabled by much greater bandwidth at higher speeds and lower latency than is possible today are expected to transform the economy and society of the United States. These include autonomous vehicles, telemedicine, and a true “Internet of Things” that connects millions of devices, machines, objects, and people. 5G also has important national security applications, such as improving military communication and situational awareness. The fact that, at present, there is no American company that can provide a complete 5G rollout is a concern. As such, the United States should consider new approaches to 5G that increase interoperability, security, vendor diversity, and operator growth.
A common refrain is that 5G could be among the most consequential technological innovations in human history, ushering in a fourth industrial revolution in a few years’ time. While such exuberance should be tempered by the fact that this transformation will almost certainly need longer time to take place, the fact remains that 5G will be the backbone of the global internet economy. It is essential, then, that 5G networks are secure, reliable, robust, and resilient.
Read the full article in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
Selling AI Chips Won’t Keep China Hooked on U.S. TechnologyU.S. policy should not rest on the illusion that selling chips can trap China inside the American tech ecosystem....
By Janet Egan
-
Commentary
Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
What the U.S.-EU $40 Billion Chip Deal MeansThe U.S.-EU framework exemplifies a recurring challenge in modern trade diplomacy: the tension between political symbolism and operational substance....
By Pablo Chavez
-
Commentary
Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
Sharper: Chips and Export ControlsAs competition between the United States and China has intensified, advanced technology has become the latest battlefield. After years of restricting China’s access to advance...
By Charles Horn
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Scaling Laws: The Open Questions Surrounding Open Source AI with Nathan Lambert and Keegan McBrideKeegan McBride, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security joins to explore the current state of open source AI model development and associated policy qu...
By Keegan McBride
